Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to letters@ocweekly.com, or mail to Letters to the Editor, c/o OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Or fax to (714) 550-5908.

¡ES ESPANGLISH, ESE! ¡TRANQUILO!The word is “pachuquismo,” not “pachucismo” [Gustavo Arellano’s ¡Ask a Mexican! Sept. 12]. This is the second time I’ve written to you about it. What part of Mexico are you from? Didn’t the escuelas in Mexico teach you anything? “Pachucismo son tus nalgas prietas, pendejo!”

El Pocho, Anaheim

P.S. I’m getting tired of calling you pendejo, pendejo!

SLINGING COMPLIMENTSI just saw the Locals Only [Erin DeWitt, Sept. 26] review of the Slings’ album and wanted to thank you heartily for such a wonderful and flattering piece of writing! It really was a very, very nice review, and we’re sincerely grateful for it. I thought it was thorough, very well-written, and you definitely captured the feelings we were going for when we recorded the album. We know you probably get tons of music across your desk, so you have our deep gratitude for the opportunity to be reviewed by you. Can’t thank you enough!

Dustin, via e-mail

LETTERS FOR LETTERSThis is in response to the letter titled “Über-crazy” by M.E. Goodwin [Letters, Sept. 26]. I cannot believe the hypocritical bullshit in your letter to OC Weekly. First off, if you want someone to take you seriously, don’t publicly state that you believe in an invisible man up in the sky and publicly state that you ask him every night to solve your problems. You sound like a God-damn (pun intended) idiotic child.

Secondly, your claiming that you will “spill blood” and cause violence if need be: Do you not realize how that contradicts your beliefs? Have you ever read a Bible? You probably haven’t.

You’re a typical Orange County, closeted-racist, conservative idiot. Have fun standing in front of the mirror with a sheet and a pillowcase over your head behind closed doors. Team Jesus is going to lose.

Adrian, via e-mail

TOLLS AND TEDDYThanks for the article on the toll road [Matt Coker’s “The Echo Chamber,” Sept. 26]. Any pub we get to help the public know what a bad idea it is to build a toll road is appreciated. I wanted to let you know I spoke in opposition to the toll road and was the person who quoted President Theodore Roosevelt. I hope it was the bad acoustics in the hall that made it so confusing, not my bad speechwriting.

Chris Zamoscianyk, San Juan Capistrano

Matt Coker replies: I could have sworn a TCA-backed speaker—who was allowed to spew much earlier in the day than members of the public like Chris Zamoscianyk—also referenced Teddy R. The gruel of a 10-hour marathon, coupled with the shock of having heard environmentalists positively refer to Nixon and Reagan, had turned my brain to such mush by then, who knows how anything landed in my notepad?

HEARTSICKI read the article about the murder of Thien Minh Ly with interest [R. Scott Moxley’s “Hate and Death,” July 18], and it made me heartsick. Though it was certainly an interesting article to read, in a way, I wish I hadn’t. Gunner Jay Lindberg made me think of a book titled Vessels of Rage: Engines of Power. It is about how alcoholism and addiction were major factors in the behavior of historical figures ranging from Joseph Stalin and Hitler to Joe McCarthy, as well as for a large number of infamous traitors and serial killers. Given Lindberg’s apparent heavy drinking, pot smoking and, especially, meth use, I think the alcoholism-addiction angle to this horrible crime is too important to ignore.

Matthew Alan Wolfinbarger, Long Beach

FOLLOW THAT MIDWIFE!Thank you for writing an article about the lack of childbirth options in OC [Daffodil J. Altan’s “I Want My Midwife,” July 25]. I moved here from San Diego, and now I’m pregnant with my second. I thought San Diego hospitals were all alike (pushing interventions), but it appears OC is even worse. Thank you for getting comments from hospital administrators when possible; their reasons for pushing interventions and not allowing midwives sound pretty lame, but it needs to be publicized! I’d love to read a follow-up article if or when more options for pregnant women arise.

Christy Green, via e-mail

It seems to me (as a health-care consumer, an OB nurse, and a future midwifery student) that education of the public addresses only half the problem. The other problem is insurance-related. Liability-insurance providers seem to be doing their best to just kill the profession of both midwifery and obstetrics. A lot of the decisions being made by OBs and hospitals about anything to do with obstetrics are often driven by fear of litigation and/or the costs of liability insurance. Charging an OB double on his liability insurance when the midwives he or she covers are already carrying their own insurance is ridiculous and extortionate. Especially when midwives handling low-risk pregnancies have much lower rates of caesareans and complications. This seems to be something that health-insurance companies should address with liability-insurance companies.